The 11th annual Centre for Blood Research Norman Bethune Symposium was held on April 6, 2022. With a focus on recent research advances in bleeding and thrombosis, the symposium engages scientists and clinicians at all levels of training.

In this week’s post, three Master’s students describe how their research interviewing young adults about blood donation policies helped them understand the real value of qualitative research. Their insights highlight the value of this type of research to inform Canadian Blood Services as the organization looks to evolve donor screening approaches and engage more young people - the blood donors of the future.

Read graduate student Jaya Rastogi’s entry to this year’s “Science behind the scenes” Lay Science Writing Competition. In an entry that identified high school students as the audience, Jaya describes their research to understand the perspectives of young adults on sex and gender questions asked during blood donor screening. The entry was awarded third place in this year’s competition.

Read undergraduate student Parth Patel’s entry to this year’s “Science behind the scenes” Lay Science Writing Competition. His heartfelt piece, which was targeted towards a public audience and ultimately earned him second place in the competition, pays homage to what he describes as research’s greatest tools – his lab mates and colleagues.

Consider submitting a nomination for this prestigious award that recognizes individuals whose landmark contributions are recognized as both extraordinary and world class in the field of transfusion or transplantation medicine, stem cell or cord blood research in Canada and/or abroad. You have until May 16, 2022 to get your nominations in!

Read the entry that was awarded first place in this year’s “Science behind the scenes” Lay Science Writing Competition! Congratulations to the winner, graduate student Alexandra Witt. She identified high school students as her target audience and wrote an engaging piece that sheds light on the questions scientists ask when developing a new drug.

Could clues to the successful treatment of some of the world’s most challenging viral infections come from understanding how viruses interact with our body’s clot-creating proteins? Dr. Ed Pryzdial and his laboratory team at the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) have dedicated research efforts to answering questions like this; efforts that have recently earned funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Dr. Cyrus Eduljee, associate director of portfolio management at Canadian Blood Services, explains how his group’s work supports the organization in bringing new products to the shelves and the importance of ensuring the organization is well prepared to withstand future shocks.

This post was written by Marie-Soleil Smith, PhD Candidate in Dr. Hélène Côté’s Lab at the University of British Columbia, and edited by Dr. Geraldine Walsh, knowledge broker at Canadian Blood Services. It originally appeared on the Centre for Blood Research blog in March 2022.

The Canadian Blood Services Lay Science Writing Competition supports our trainee network to develop communication skills by challenging them to showcase their research using plain language.